Sunday, October 08, 2006

So we went to "the city of phony" and saw more real than we ever expected.

After settling into our hotel -- that's Elisabeth and me in front of the hotel, the Monte Carlo -- we decided to check out the Bodies exhibit at the Tropicana across the street. Yes, these are dead human bodies, but the exhibit is anything but morbid or gross. In fact, it is absolutely dignified and respectful -- and probably the single most educational experience in biology, anatomy and the human body I have ever had! It was especially interesting to have experienced it with Elisabeth who, being a bio major at Cal and newly working in the medical field, could name just about every body part and its function. There are just no words to describe the impact, so I won't even try. Suffice it to say that it is well worth any money you'd spend on it, it is unforgettable, and you will learn more from the exhibit than any one biology class -- or at least have a more real understanding of the human body instead of just memorizing names of body parts from a text book!

After hours in that exhibit, we went to the Titanic exhibit which was also fabulous... though both in the same day was actually a bit of sensory overload -- and not the kind that Vegas is usually associated with!

Of course we had to do the buffet thing, so we went to the one we'd heard was the best -- Spice Market at the Aladdin. WOW! I had planned to suspend my Weight Watchers plan for the day... and good thing I had, though by the time we ate it was well after 6 and we hadn't eaten since before boarding the plane at 7:00 that morning, so we were hungry! Actually, I was pretty good, considering the opportunity for me to have been SO bad! I love this picture of Elisabeth with her dessert choices (I had a chocolate dipped strawberry)!

After dinner, we walked off the calories -- or a tiny fraction of them -- by walking the Strip. The original plan was to see Blue Man Group, but dammit, there was no show at 10:00 as I'd heard, so we missed that one. Then we walked across the street to see the pirate show at Treasure Island (now called "TI," since the "family fun" theme in Vegas is a thing of the past). Unfortunately (Elisabeth has so built up those gorgeous studly pirates!), it was cancelled due to wind. (Huh? All we felt was a slight breeze!)

So instead of seeing a show, we watched people gamble away zillions of dollars. Don't ever let anyone tell you that gambling is fun; it is not. WINNING is fun. I had $19 worth of not fun and $1 worth of fun. After I cashed out my "winnings," we decided to get our enjoyment vicariously. I definitely recommend that method!

Last night we drove about 785 miles, from Las Vegas to Ashland, Oregon. Actually, Elisabeth drove. I can't sleep in the car at night unless I'm at the wheel, in which case sleep comes easily -- which can be a problem. Tomorrow we'll drive from Ashland to Seattle, with me at the wheel since we'll leave very early in the morning, when I'm most awake.

Tonight, though,we'll go to closing night of the Ashland Shakespeare Festival, which should be fun! We'll see "Two Gentlemen of Verona." I've heard two things about this production: 1.) It features a live dog, who steals the show and 2.) we should plan to freeze our buns off, since it's in the outdoor theater. No matter, though -- we'll be with my dad and Lou, and that, in itself, will make the evening wonderful! Will post again when we get back to Seattle!